On a sunny Sunday afternoon that was more suitable to playing ball than talking about it, dozens crowded the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center at Montclair State University for a program about the impact of Jewish players on Major League baseball.

They heard three panelists talk about the accomplishments, personalities, marketing, and odd deficiencies — Why can’t Jewish ballplayers steal second? — of the 155 Jews who are known to have played in the Major Leagues.

Leading the discussion was Martin Abramowitz, a Jewish fund-raising professional from Boston and the mastermind behind a baseball card set featuring all the Jewish players. Also lending their expertise were sportswriter Maury Allen and former big-league pitcher Bob Tufts.

From the Philadelphia Athletics’ Lipman Pike in 1870 to Houston Astros Jason Hirsch in 2006, Jews have accounted for less than .8 of 1 percent of the more than 17,000 who have played in the Major Leagues, said Abramowitz.

He attributed the minuscule figure to two factors, with 1947 serving as a dividing point. Prior to the first half of the 20th century, most players came from rural and southern regions, while the majority of Jews lived in urban centers and had less access to playing fields. Jackie Robinson’s big league debut that year, meanwhile, opened the door for the large pool of black and Latino players that followed.

Statistically, he said, Jews acquitted themselves better than would be expected except in one category. Out of 26,214 stolen bases, Jews accounted for only 995 (or less than all-time leader Rickey Henderson’s). One person from the audience suggested it was simply Jewish obeisance to the Eighth Commandment: Thou shalt not steal.

In addition to players, Abramowitz pointed out, several team owners in the early 20th century were Jewish and tried to cultivate a Jewish fan base by “promoting from within.”

Allen, author of more than 30 books, including Brooklyn Remembered: The 1955 Days of the Dodgers, regaled the audience with anecdotes collected in a career that began almost 50 years ago.

One of those stories was set close to home. Allen’s cousin, Harry Eisenstat, was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians and a teammate of Tigers legend Hank Greenberg during the 1938-39 seasons. Eisenstat won both games of a July doubleheader against the Indians in 1938, thanks to home runs by Greenberg.

“[Manager Lou] Boudreau told his team, ‘Lock yourself in your rooms tonight, boys. The Jews in Detroit are going crazy,’” Allen said.

Tufts, who played for the San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals from 1981 to ’83, converted to Judaism in 1982. “Baseball was a southern game for a long time,” he said, reiterating Abramowitz’ observation. Many managers came from the region and some minority players suffered for it. “There were huge problems for urban blacks and Jews who openly held their faith.”

Tufts, who graduated from Princeton University in 1977, said he was still hearing anti-Semitic comments in the 1980s.

After the program, Allen, Abramowitz, and Tufts shmoozed with the audience, signing books and cards.

“I thought this was a terrific activity,” said Sam Bernstein, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research, which helped organize the event. “This was [SABR’s] first Sunday event and the turnout was just superb.

“We had several people who are shomer Shabbos and can’t go to events on Saturday, but it’s not always easy to accommodate them,” added Bernstein, who lives in West Orange.

Kevin Finn of East Windsor said he was probably the only non-Jew in the audience. He was surprised by the relatively recent “animosity” against Jews, “when times were changing and we were more accepting of each other. Ballplayers should have been more open-minded. That the old-fashioned values, the old-fashioned ideas of segregation were still prevalent, it just amazes me that people still thought that way.”

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